Outlook for Social Organisation 127 



society, and the ideal of righteousness is the 

 dynamic of progress. That ideal expressed in 

 the symbols of religion and art is the compel- 

 ling spirit which persuades men into self-sacri- 

 ficing cooperation, and is quite another thing 

 from the concept of legality. The civil court 

 of so-called justice where interest contends 

 against interest according to the ancient rules 

 of the game has about the same relation to the 

 vital justice of intelligent sympathy as has the 

 divorce court to the ideal home. Western civ- 

 ilization formally professes as its standard of 

 righteousness the sublime story of Jesus of 

 Nazareth, whose life and teachings constitute 

 probably the purest expression yet achieved of 

 social idealism. Though many upright souls 

 shun the gospel because of the shameless com- 

 mercialism to which it has been subjected, yet 

 it stands today as the most conspicuous reser- 

 voir of spiritual power. 



But unfortunately the worst exploiters are 

 pious Christians, and their urging of non- 

 resisting brotherly love on the sheep they shear 

 has become a byword. What is desperately 

 needed at the present time is a clear and force- 

 ful realization of the tremendous gap between 

 our idealism and our deeds. The force of 



